1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of snowboarding and more particularly to a device for retaining a boot on a gliding board adapted for snowboarding.
2. Description of Background and Material Information
The practice of snowboarding is generally done with either rigid shell boots or flexible boots.
For flexible boots, certain retaining devices have at least one shock-absorbing support pad, generally located between a baseplate of the device and the boot when the latter is retained on the device.
The support pad is provided to improve the user""s comfort and to absorb the impacts or short displacements of the boot with respect to the device.
It has been observed that certain support pad deteriorate very quickly when the device is used and, as a result, they no longer fulfill their shock-absorbing role.
It has also been observed that the support pad that resist a quick deterioration do not absorb the impacts or short displacements enough, and that these support pad do little to improve the user""s comfort.
An object of the invention is to provide a support pad that improves the user""s comfort and absorbs the impacts or short displacements of the boot with respect to the retaining device, i.e., the binding, while resisting the wear and abrasion caused by the boots.
Another object of the invention is to provide a retaining device having at least such a support pad.
A shock-absorbing support pad according to the invention is provided to be arranged between a boot and a board, or between the boot and a device for retaining a boot on the board, the board being adapted to snowboarding.
The support pad, according to the invention, has at least two layers of materials with a different hardness, a first layer which has a support surface provided to make contact with the boot and which has a bonding surface opposite to the support surface, and a second layer which is joined to the bonding surface from the first layer, the hardness of the second layer being less than the hardness of the first layer. This structure improves the user""s comfort and absorbs the impacts or short displacements of the boot due to the second layer. Additionally, this structure offers a good resistance to the wear and abrasion caused by the boots due to the first layer.
According to a particular feature of the invention, the first layer and the second layer are glued together.
According to another feature of the invention, the first layer is made from a relatively flexible plastic material with a substantially continuous structure, and the second layer is made from a relatively flexible plastic material with a cell-type structure.
In addition to the foregoing, the invention also encompasses a device for retaining a boot on a gliding board adapted to snowboarding, the device comprising at least one shock-absorbing support pad provided to make contact with the boot, wherein the wedge comprises at least two layers of materials of a different hardness, a first layer which has a support surface provided to make contact with the boot and which has a bonding surface opposite to the support surface, and a second layer which is joined to the bonding surface of the first layer, the hardness of the second layer being less than the hardness of the first layer.
Further according to the invention, the support pad is arranged to contact a baseplate of the device, so that the first layer touches the sole of the boot when the latter is retained on the device.
Still further according to the invention, the first layer and the second layer are glued together, and the first layer is glued to the baseplate.
Still further according to the invention, the first layer of the support pad is made from a relatively flexible plastic material with a substantially continuous structure, and the second layer of the support pad is made from a relatively flexible material with a cell-type structure.